 |
| Caldwell County Courthouse, Lockhart, Texas |
Texas
Courthouse Trails
After
I retired from HPD Homicide in 2005, if you had told me that I would someday
embark on a program to visit and photograph every one of the 254 Texas
courthouses of Texas, I would have said,” You’re crazy.” Nevertheless, for the last four years I have
been doing just that, driving with my photography buddy Dave, to 187 (so far) different
county seats, photographing each one, inside and out, and gathering information
unique to each county and its courthouse.
Having
worked murder cases for 29 years in the Homicide Division, I have spent a lot
of time in courthouses, usually waiting to testify. Logically, that would be the last place thing
I wanted to see again. All that changed
in 2010 when I made a trip to Anderson, Texas, county seat of Grimes County and
took a good look at their impressive courthouse situated on a hill.
 |
| Grimes County Courthouse |
The
Grimes County courthouse was built in 1893 and is located in the middle of the
town of Anderson. The structure dominates all the other surrounding buildings. The
two-story structure is built of stone and brick in the “Italianate style”. The
stairwell to the second floor courtroom is on the exterior south side of the structure. The brick is a tan color and the building is
trimmed in white.
With
a grant from the Courthouse Preservation Program that was initiated by then
Governor George W. Bush, the courthouse was restored to its original 1893 look
by the citizens of Grimes County. It is one of sixty historic courthouses that
have been restored by the Bush program. Yep! Bush did it!
When
you read about the names of each county and county seat, it’s like reading all
about Texas history. For example,
Anderson was named for Kenneth Lewis Anderson, Vice-President of the Republic
of Texas. Another example would be Grimes County, named for Jesse Grimes, a
signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
 |
| Fayette County Courthouse |
The
next county courthouse I visited was the Fayette County courthouse in La Grange. Built in 1891 and designed by famed
architect, J. Riely Gordon, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in
Texas. It is built of rough and dressed
stone in what is known as the Richardsonian Romanesque style. This courthouse
has three stories. As with most Texas
The
original structure had an open atrium with a large fountain, cast iron sculptures
and tropical plants. Later the atrium was
closed off for vaults and additional office space. Subsequently, it was
restored, along with other interior features, to the original condition under
the THC program and rededicated in 2005.
It was reopened with fountain, sculptures and tropical plants creating a
uniquely beautiful feature to the 123 year-old building.
As
I drove home from La Grange it occurred to me that I only had 252 counties to
go. I thought to myself: “Well, might as well do it.” All I’m going to miss is “Jeopardy” in the
afternoon. I was hooked and thus began
my journeys across, up, down and all over Texas.
I
am not the first, nor will I be the last to visit and photograph all the Texas
county courthouses. Mavis P. Kelsey Sr.
(founder of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic) and Donald H. Dyal did the same thing and
published The Courthouses of Texas in 1993. Others have also made the trips but this book
was the first comprehensive guide. It
has served me well for the past four years and offers photos of each courthouse
along with a short history of each one.
Here
are some historical facts that I learned:
1. When Texas
2. How was the size of counties determined? It was usually determined by the distance
citizens could travel to reach the county seat and get back in a day by
horseback or horse-drawn vehicle. A
thirty mile round trip was a long day’s ride for outlying farmers and ranchers
and thus most counties are thirty miles in diameter.
3. The Texas Constitution mandated that each county seat
was to be established in the geographical center (plus or minus three miles) of
the county. There are exceptions to this
rule but for the most part county seats are located in the middle of the
county.
4. I’ve discovered this interesting fact in my own
travels across Texas. From any one
courthouse, I can count on the next county being about 35 miles away. Also, Texas road signs indicating miles to
the next county seat are not the miles to the city limits, but rather miles to
the courthouse square.
One
of the things I love about Texas is those courthouse squares, found in most
county seat towns, excluding the large cities. They are Texas icons. The
practice of laying out a town with a central plaza for government buildings and
streets came from the Spanish, who had gotten the idea from the Romans. Additionally, early Texas Republic immigrants
brought with them the concept of the courthouse square as found in colonial
America.
As
the Comanche were pushed out of the lands in central and west Texas, folks
began to immigrate westward into Texas.
As towns grew in size and in population, the different counties were
drawn up by the Texas legislature. A
priority for these new towns was their designation as a county seat and where
to put the courthouse.
The
history of the jostling, the fights and crimes committed to secure a town as a
county seat offers an insight into how important it was to have these
courthouses. Here are a couple of examples from the Handbook of Texas
"The town of Montgomery , situated on the
stagecoach line that ran from Huntsville to Houston
"The construction of ... railroads [in the county] touched off an intense controversy concerning the location of the county seat.”
"The construction of ... railroads [in the county] touched off an intense controversy concerning the location of the county seat.”
When
the first railroad missed the town of Montgomery, a new town on the railroad
called Willis, was voted in as county seat in 1874. Six years later the county
seat was moved back to Montgomery when the Houston and Texas Central railroads were
completed. In 1889, however, the county seat was moved to the fledgling
community of Conroe because it was situated at the junction of [the two
railroads]." Handbook of Texas
Online. Conclusion: The railroads were an important factor in the layout of
Texas counties and county seats.
 |
| Blanco County Courthouse, Johnson City, Texas |
In
1862, during the Civil War, the legislature established Kendall County and
because of that, Blanco County lost a large part of the land on its
southwestern border. The legislature compensated Blanco County Johnson City
A
second election was called for and it was held in 1886 and Blanco won its
county seat back. The issue polarized the citizens to the point that men were
ready to fight with fists and guns over of the courthouse location. A third and final election in 1891 settled
the issue and Johnson City won the county seat
fight and within hours all the county records were loaded into wagons and moved
to Johnson City
 |
| Old Blanco County Courthouse, Blanco, Texas |
The
old courthouse in Blanco still stands today.
It has been restored and appears at it did in the 1880s. Today it serves as a tourist information
center for visitors to the Texas Hill Country.
The
first Texas
 |
| Cass County Courthouse, Linden, Texas |
The
oldest, longest serving courthouse in Texas
can be found in Linden , Cass County Texas
After
the Civil War and post-reconstruction, (between 1870 and 1900) the State of
Texas entered a period of prosperity that was buoyed by a national demand for
cotton and beef. With tax revenue
generated by that prosperity, Texas counties began to build the many courthouses
that still stand today.
This
period is often referred to as the “Golden Age of Texas Courthouses.” Architects would compete with each other
hoping to land lucrative contracts with each county. Some of the great Texas architects include:
J. Riely Gordon, Atlee B. Ayers, W. C. Dodson, Eugene T. Heiner, Alfred Giles
and the Ruffini brothers. Their designs
include; Classical Revival, Romanesque Revival, French Second Empire (see first photo of Caldwell County courthouse),
Renaissance Revival and Beau Arts.
Later
on, other architects would adopt a combination of three or more of these
classic architecture styles and produce a style that became known as Texas
Renaissance. These buildings often required skilled European masons, artists,
carpenters along with local construction workers.
The
last two architectural styles are Moderne and Modern. The Moderne with the extra “e” designates a
style that is found in buildings constructed in the 1930’s and 1940’s. These
courthouses often have Art Deco ornaments and decorations. You can see them carved into the stonework or
in metal eagles, shields and scales of justice on the exterior of the
building. The Washington County
The
Modern style of courthouses is what is being built today. Gone are the skilled European stone masons,
artists, and carpenters. They have been
replaced by concrete, steel and glass and the crane. Still these courthouses,
such as the Harris County Criminal or Civil Courts buildings are not only
pleasing to the eye, but they are large enough to function as a courthouse for
the larger counties in Texas.
I
should mention the El Paso County courthouse because of something interesting
that happened to me during my visit there.
My wife and I made an 1800 mile, four-day trip to West Texas, visiting
and photographing county courthouses as we drove from county seat to county
seat. We arrived in El Paso mid-morning
and parked in a lot about two blocks across the street from the federal
courthouse. My wife stayed with the car
because we had our dog along, and I hiked to the courthouse. Stand by for what
happened!
The
El Paso County courthouse is a stunning building in the Modern style
architectural building with a lot of mirrored glass and red brick. Its most unique feature is found on the third
floor where you will find a mural by celebrated artist Carlos Callejo. It is
titled, "Our History" (1995) and it spans three walls beneath the
glass ceiling of this modern building.
Visitors
entering the courthouse have to be screened by deputies and pass through a
metal detector. I did this and I asked
one of the deputies where I could photograph the mural. He said take the
elevator to the third floor for a good view. I followed his suggestion and got
some great photos.
Now
here’s what happened to me! Upon exiting the building I walked back to the car
and started putting my camera in its case. Suddenly I was confronted by an FBI
agent and two deputy US Marshalls who started bombarding me with questions
about why I was photographing the courthouse.
For a moment I thought I was about to be arrested.
The
first thing I did was ask them for some credentials. The FBI agent showed me his. When I in turn slowly pulled my HPD ID, they
suddenly got apologetic. I explained
that I was photographing all the Texas county courthouses for a book. They still wanted to see the photographs on
my camera which I showed them.
The
FBI agent said that they get threats from the Mexican drug cartels and they
wanted to make sure I was not doing a recon mission. I asked the agent, “Do you think an old guy
like me, wearing a Texas A&M t-shirt and US Air Force ball cap is working
for the cartel?” I think if I had not
had my HPD ID things could have gone quite differently.
A serendipity of these trips has been the great people I have met in and
around the courthouse. I was given a
personal tour of the Bell County courthouse and his office by District Judge
Jack Jones who found it interesting that I was photographing his
courtroom. He talked about the fire that
destroyed the courthouse in 1993 and how the county rebuilt the
courthouse. I met Sheriff Hilario Canto,
at the Kimble County courthouse in Sonora, Texas. He invited me into his office for
coffee. He was elected three years ago
and prior to that served as a deputy.
In
Eldorado, Texas I met county judge, Charlie Bradley. He noticed my Nikon and asked me about my
project and then offered to help stage the courtroom lighting for the photos. Judge Bradley is a graduate of Texas Tech
University with a degree in photojournalism. He moved back to Eldorado to
take care of his parents and opened a portrait photography business.
In
my travels, I have met county treasurers, county clerks, deputy sheriffs and
even people looking for where to buy a marriage license. One thing they all have in common is they are
very Texas proud of their courthouse.
 |
| Shelby County Courthouse, Center, Texas |
I
made a trip through East Texas to the town of Center, county seat of Shelby
County. The Shelby County courthouse was
built in 1885 and is the only courthouse in the United States that resembles an
Irish castle. It was designed and built
by J. J. Emmitt Gibson using two million bricks. It no longer serves as a
functioning courthouse but serves as a historical museum.
I
was given a personal tour by the caretaker, Mr. Jones. We began the tour on the
first floor hallway with him pointing out an 1885 silver dollar embedded into
the wooden floor where two hallways intersected. He pointed to the coin saying: “That is the
exact geographical center of Shelby County.”
He then showed me a narrow door that concealed a spiral staircase that
allows judges to enter the courtroom. Later
on the second floor he showed me the door where they would emerge from behind
the bench. The second floor windows in
the courtroom were designed to be opened from the top and bottom allowing hot
air to escape and cooler air, if any available, to enter the courtroom.
 |
| Shelby County Courthouse: Courtroom |
The
problem with large open windows was it also allowed birds to fly into the
courtroom. During a murder trial in the
1890’s the trial judge noticed some jurors looking at the pigeon on the rafter
instead of listening to the witness. He
stopped the trial and cleared the courtroom.
He told the bailiff to use any means necessary to remove the bird, as it
was in contempt of the court. A shotgun
quickly removed the contemptuous pigeon and the trial continued without any
further distraction.
In
many Texas towns, the courthouse square is the resting place for some very unique
historical items. For example, the Bee
County courthouse square has a US Navy jet on the grounds. It is not, however, combat ready. Down the road at the Live Oak County
courthouse square you will find “Geronimo,” a stuffed Texas longhorn
commemorating where longhorns and trail drives originated.
The
Bandera County square has a rock memorial with a bronze plaque honoring all
cowboys. Mason County has a cowboy with his
horse in the front of the courthouse. The
Goliad County courthouse still has an original “hanging tree” in front. In Fairfield, Texas at the county seat of
Freestone County you’ll find one of three canons from the Civil War Battle of
Val Verde.
The
McCullough County courthouse square in Brady has a huge granite statue of Texas
with a big red heart in the middle which proudly states it is the “heart of
Texas.” In Seguin on the Guadalupe County courthouse grounds, Juan Seguin is
mounted on his horse, sword drawn and all in bronze. It reminds us of that the Tejanos also fought
for Texas independence at the Battle of San Jacinto.
When
the War Between the States broke out in 1861, Texas joined the Confederacy,
much to the dismay of famous Texans like Sam Houston. By the end of 1861,
25,000 Texans were in the Confederate army, the majority in the cavalry.
 |
| Denton County Confederate Soldiers Memorial |
The
Civil War resulted in the deaths of over 600,000 soldiers, both North and South.
Many of the volunteers from Texas were killed or wounded. Almost every
Texas County that existed prior to 1860 has a Confederate memorial on its
courthouse square. These memorials were
erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy.
Several civil rights groups have attempted to have them removed, all
unsuccessfully.
The
most common thing found on nearly every one of the 254 county courthouse
squares is a Veterans’ memorial. Some
are small while others are massive. The
largest one I’ve ever seen is next to the Hopkins County courthouse in Sulphur
Springs. It is the largest feature of
the courthouse square other than the courthouse itself.
 |
| Nacogdoches County Veterans Memorial |
Another
notable Veterans’ memorial is found in Nacogdoches County courthouse
square. It has the names of every county
resident who has ever served in the Armed Forces of the United States listing
their service, rank, where they served and dates of service. In addition a granite monolith is dedicated
to Purple Heart recipients.
The
Hunt County courthouse square in Greenville has a bust and memorial of
America’s most decorated soldier, Audie Murphy.
The citizens of Starr County erected a memorial to Gregoiro Barrera, WW2
Veteran, POW, and survivor of the Bataan Death March and they named the plaza
in his honor. Veterans are truly honored
by every Texas County.
I
often get asked about the most awesome, beautiful courthouse I have visited and
photographed. To be fair I have to tell you about three!
 |
| Harris County Courthouse of 1910 |
I’ll
start with my third choice, the Harris County Courthouse of 1910. You may know it as the old Civil Courts
building. It was designed by architect
Charles E. Barglebaugh of Lang & Mitchell, in Beaux-Arts style
architecture. The main entrance is on
Fannin Street. It has eight giant
granite columns. There are elaborate ornamentation in limestone and masonry.
The exterior is built from Texas pink granite and light brown St. Louis
brick. The interior walls and floor are
finished in gray and white Cherokee marble that is eye-popping elegant. If you ever go there, be sure to walk
directly under the dome on the first floor and look up into a stained glass
kaleidoscope lit by windows around the dome. It is amazing.
The five year restoration began in 2006 and it was completed and rededicated in 2011 at a cost of $65 million. The original courthouse cost was $500,000 in 1910.
 |
| Harris County Courthouse of 1910 |
The five year restoration began in 2006 and it was completed and rededicated in 2011 at a cost of $65 million. The original courthouse cost was $500,000 in 1910.
My
second choice is the Ellis County courthouse in Waxahachie designed by famed
architect, J. Riely Gordon. This is a
massive red sandstone and granite Romanesque Revival courthouse. The three-story building is topped by a two-story
granite clock tower that appears to be another building on top of the
courthouse. The courthouse can be seen
from miles away from town. The center of the building is open from the first
floor to the top of the clock tower creating a chimney effect and cooling the
building. Renovations and restoration
provide air conditioning and all the comforts of modern life.
The
Ellis County courthouse cost an estimated $75,000 in 1896. Still the area
cotton farmers at the time thought that was too extravagant and they voted all
of the county commissioners out of office.
As the courthouse was being built and the people saw the building as it
was being finished they changed their minds and voted all the rebuked
commissioners back into office.
 |
| Ellis County Courthouse |
The
courthouse has elaborate stone faces on the ground floor carved by master stone
masons. The faces on the east side
appear to be happy while growing melancholy on the west side. One explanation for that is the stone mason
was seeing a certain young woman at the start of the project, however, she
rejected him later and his feelings were reflected in his stone carvings.
 |
| Harrison County Courthouse, Marshall, Texas |
My
all time favorite courthouse is found in Marshall, Texas, county seat Harrison
County. This is another J. Riely Gordon
design built in 1900 in the Renaissance Revival style. It has everything you could imagine in a
classic courthouse including a domed roof and clock tower with a statue of Lady
Justice on the top, carved eagles over the cornices and ten eagles around the
dome.
This
courthouse was built from yellow brick with gray Corinthian granite columns on
three sides and the entire building is trimmed in white limestone. It sits on a slight hill and is surrounded by
red brick parking lot and street. A statue
of a Confederate soldier oversees the east entrance. The interior has been restored to its
original condition. Looking up into the
dome from the first floor rotunda, you can see the stained glass that provides
light into the top. It is an impressive
courthouse and worth a stop in Marshall.
Just beware that there are red light cameras everywhere in this East
Texas town, not that I’m speaking from experience of course!
I
have been all over this state and stopped in towns I never knew existed: Big
Lake, Crane, Eldorado, Sarita, Tilden, Hamilton, Center, and Sterling City just
to name a few. They all have a
courthouse, some better than others. They all have something else in common.
They all have Texans, the friendliest people on earth. I’ll be going to Panhandle
soon, but not just to finish this project.
I look forward to see whom I’m going to meet and to hear about their
life stories.
You can see 187 county
courthouses at my website:
No comments:
Post a Comment